Golf Betting Odds
Golf lends itself well to betting with its slow pace and distinct break between holes. Advancements in golf live betting also allow you to bet on the smallest of details, like a player’s score on the next hole, and you can bet while you watch the action unfold.
PGA tournaments that you can bet on take place almost every weekend, along with celebrity charity matches, international team showdowns and more. There’s always next weekend to look forward to for golf betting, no matter how the last one turned out.
If you want to bet on golf at legal online sportsbooks in Arizona, you’re in the right place. Below we’ll cover the key info for betting on golf in AZ and provide live PGA odds direct from the top online sportsbooks.
Live odds for next PGA golf tournament
Odds for PGA Tournaments come out well before the opening tee shot is launched. Our live odds feed pulls together the latest odds from all of the top sportsbooks so you don’t have to. Just click the odds to claim the bonus and get ready to bet.
Golf odds explained
In advance of tournaments teeing off, much of the chatter in betting circles revolves around who is going to win and which golfers look to be in position to place well. Many of the top bet types are based on that as a result. For bets like tournament winners and Top 10 finishers, there will be odds listed out for all in the field. The top of the odds board might look like this.
Odds to win Waste Management Phoenix Open:
- Jon Rahm +1200
- Collin Morikawa +1300
- Dustin Johnson +1400
- Jordan Spieth +1500
Bets of this nature are very similar to what you’ll find in the futures market for the winners of the next golf majors like the Masters or US Open. There will be odds for all golfers scheduled to compete: favorites up top, longshots on the bottom, and everyone else tucked in the middle.
For these wagers, the lower the odds, the better the chance the golfer has to make some noise, at least in the eyes of the oddsmakers. As the betting public begins to weigh in, you can expect to see movement on the board. Some choices will see their odds shorten, while others may lengthen.
There are plenty of other golf bets which include fewer choices. For example, a head-to-head bet pits two golfers together, while groups can include three or four members of the field. In the case of a simple pairing, the odds will resemble what you would see in a moneyline bet for other sports.
- Rory McIlroy -120
- Brooks Koepka +110
When you see negative odds, that indicates the favorite of the two outcomes, while the underdog side will have positive odds attached. The closer the two numbers are, the tighter the matchup projects to be, while a wide span points to a paper mismatch. For group bets, the odds work in similar fashion with a listed favorite and varying odds for all choices.
No matter how you plan to bet on golf, you should get in the habit of shopping around to compare the odds. Our live odds feed is a great tool to lean on for that. There can be differences among the sportsbooks that you’d never know about without looking. Since the odds have a direct bearing on what you get back for winners, it’s worth the time.
Speaking of returns, there’s a quick way to figure out potential profits once you know what the odds are.
Negative odds: The number equals how much you have to bet for a chance to win $100.
- Ex: Bet $140 at odds of -140 for a shot at $100.
Positive odds: The number equals how much you can expect back for a winning $100 bet.
- Ex: Bet $100 at odds of +150 for a chance to win $150.
If you find golf odds confusing at first glance, you’re not the first person who has ever felt like that. The good news is that it takes just a little bit of familiarity and practice to get up to speed. Before too long, you’ll be able to view PGA betting odds with confidence and be ready to place your wagers in no time.
Top Ways To Bet On Golf
There are plenty of ways to get in on the action with the PGA Tour at legal online sportsbooks. As you get set to dive in, it can be helpful to divide up the top choices into two main categories: top finishers and individual performances.
For the former, these will be bets that you’re placing on the outright winner of the tourney or on those you think will place highly. Examples in this category include:
- Tournament winner: Bets on golfers to win the tournament.
- Top 5, 10, 20, etc.: Wager on golfers to place highly without necessarily winning.
- Each-way: A bet that covers a golfer to win or place, such as in the Top 10.
These are the bets for which you’ll find odds for all golfers in the field. The average PGA Tour stop typically has 100+ set to tee off, so there’s lots of info to digest. As such, it can be helpful to break down the board into the three tiers: favorites, longshots, and mid-range.
From there, you can select your favorite choices from each category and devote the bulk of your research time there. Other popular golf bets have just a couple of choices to make. These wagers can give you additional rooting interest as the tourney plays out, not to mention more chances to win.
- Head-to-head: Just like picking the winner of two teams in other sports, but this time you’re selecting which of two golfers will perform the best.
- Group betting: Instead of picking the best from a lone matchup, groups can include three or four choices and are often called three-or four-ball bets.
While there’s plenty to consider in the two big categories, the golf betting menu includes several other top choices. Here’s a sampling of some of the most popular.
- Props: These are basically side bets on the tournament as a whole or on the performance of an individual golfer, such as the number of eagles scored in round two.
- Live betting: You can bet in real time as the action plays out on the course. This is a featured offering at top sportsbooks. You’ll even see updates as it all plays out right on the app or website.
- Futures: Bets on outcomes that won’t be known until a later date. For golf, the main futures revolve around the winners of the four major tournaments: Masters, US Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship.
There are plenty of different ways to bet on golf. When starting out, there’s no need to try and master them all at once. Instead, pick out a few that you find appealing and learn all that you can. As you move forward, add additional options into the repertoire. Before too long, you’ll have the right mix of what works best for you and your strategy.
Latest Odds for PGA Golf Majors
When it comes to the PGA Tour, some tournaments draw more attention than others. At the very top of the list are the four major tournaments, which always attract the top names in golf along with the most media coverage. Along with that, they also present the most gambling options. Here is everything you need to know about the four tournaments.
Masters Odds
The Masters is the most prestigious tournament in golf. It takes place at Augusta National in Georgia every year in early April. The winner receives a green jacket, the most famous of the tournament’s many traditions.
For bettors, sportsbooks usually offer a range of bets and special offers for The Masters. These can include anything from hundreds of dollars in bet credits to extra wagers on the performance of last year’s champion.
Experience is a key asset at the Masters, as the course is filled with details that can send a round sideways in an instant. Knowing where to place the ball to move around the course with ease is important. Strong putting and excellent precision with irons are both necessary traits to win the green jacket. Champions often leave themselves with shorter putts so they don’t need to brave too much distance on Augusta’s greens.
The prize pool for the tournament is over $11 million, with the winner getting around $2 million of that. See our full page of The Masters golf odds.
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 2020 | Dustin Johnson |
| 2019 | Tiger Woods |
| 2018 | Patrick Reed |
| 2017 | Sergio Garcia |
US Open Odds
The US Open takes place in mid-June and rotates among a variety of courses. Even though it’s played in different locations, one thing that remains consistent is that the course is always very difficult. This means thick rough and other features that lead to high scores.
Golfers must thus be very accurate to avoid these traps and stick to the fairway. Thus, wild golfers can sometimes struggle at the US Open as they fail to blast themselves around the course. Picking players who hit fairways is often a good idea.
The tournament has a purse of over $12 million, the most of any major tournament. See our full page of US Open golf odds.
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Jon Rahm |
| 2020 | Bryson DeChambeau |
| 2019 | Gary Woodland |
| 2018 | Brooks Koepka |
| 2017 | Brooks Koepka |
PGA Championship Odds
The PGA Championship is another major that rotates locations, though most of the time it’s located in the Eastern United States. The courses that host the tournament will be prestigious ones, and it’s the only major with no amateur players competing.
Because of the rotating host course, the traits and abilities that golfers need to succeed can shift on a year-to-year basis. On some courses with narrow fairways, accuracy may be the most desirable trait, while others may reward power. Special promotions that may be available for betting on the PGA Championship include boosted odds and deposit bonuses, to encourage people to place bets.
The total purse for the tournament is around $11 million.
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Phil Mickelson |
| 2020 | Collin Morikawa |
| 2019 | Brooks Koepka |
| 2018 | Brooks Koepka |
| 2017 | Justin Thomas |
British Open (Open Championship) odds
The only major that takes place outside the US, the Open Championship takes place in the United Kingdom on a links-style course that is usually near the ocean. This means a different style of play as links courses have a few distinct features. The tournament takes place in July.
Links-style courses are usually much more “naturally” built from the landscape and feature coastal winds. This requires players to be able to keep their ball flight low as well as being able to hit for distance.
The Open Championship’s course changes from year to year, with only 14 courses ever hosting the tourney. Ten of those courses are still in the rotation while four have been retired.
You can expect a variety of special bets to be available. More emphasis will be on European golfers, and sometimes sportsbooks will offer boosted odds or promotions for betting on those players.
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Collin Morikawa |
| 2019 | Shane Lowry |
| 2018 | Francesco Molinari |
| 2017 | Jordan Spieth |
| 2016 | Henrik Stenson |
What are the most important stats in golf betting?
You’ll find a variety of stats to help with your golf betting decisions. These stats can tell you everything about a player’s game and help you figure out if that player is a suitable bet choice.
When you study golf stats, it’s important to know what you’re looking for. For example, certain tournaments require accurate driving while others require powerful driving. The US Open is famous for its thick rough, thus accuracy is important. Looking for a golfer with a higher fairways hit percentage is a good idea. For powerful drivers, you would want to look at driving distance.
The strokes gained stat is a good one to see where a golfer excels. For example, if you’re looking to find a strong putter, the strokes gained putting stat would help. For a tournament that requires precision with irons, you’d look at strokes gained on approach.
Golf betting promotions and odds boosts
One of the best parts about a legal gambling market is the competition among sportsbooks. All these companies are fighting for your business, and they will offer bonuses to entice you to join them.
Perhaps a sportsbook will match your first deposit up to a certain dollar value or maybe give you a bonus bet. Other common promotions include tokens that can increase your bet size or offering loyalty points that you can exchange for rewards.
In addition to all these promotions, odds boosts have become more and more popular. These are selections that the sportsbook has chosen to offer very strong odds on. These are almost always plays with a strong expected return. Because of that, they often have a low maximum bet.
Betting on other PGA events
The four major tournaments are not the only PGA events that make for fun wagering. Tournaments take place most weekends. Some other big stops on the tour include the Genesis Invitational, the Waste Management Open, the BMW Championship, and the Wells Fargo Championship. All offer relatively large purses and solid competition.
You also may find that you prefer to bet on smaller PGA Tour stops because the conditions are riper for upsets. With fewer of the big names competing or going their hardest, it’s easier for smaller names to pull out a victory.
Bet on the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup each pit a team of golfers from the United States against a team of golfers from other places. In the Ryder Cup, the US faces off against Europe, and in the Presidents Cup the US faces off against the rest of the world.
These events can be fun to bet on because they have a different format from the traditional four-day stroke play format that most tournaments use. There are a variety of matches, and the fact that it’s a tournament with two teams means that there are other bets available.
For example, you can place bets on a macro level concerning the two teams or a micro level on the individual games of golf. This makes these two events extra special, though they only happen every two years.
Which PGA events are in Arizona?
With its warm climate, Arizona is one of the top golf destinations in the world, with some great courses. Thus it makes sense that the state hosts some PGA Tour events.
The Waste Management Open is the most famous tournament that takes place in Arizona. It’s held in Scottsdale and is famous for its signature 16th hole that features an unruly crowd. Considering most golf tournaments have fans following strict rules, the Waste Management Open is famous for its relaxed atmosphere. That crowd will get even more unruly when the on-site sportsbook from DraftKings debuts at TPC Scottsdale.
This has made it one of the most popular and fun stops on the tour and a travel destination for many who want to enjoy the energy at the tournament.
Betting on the LPGA
The LPGA is also available for betting at some sportsbooks, though not all books will have odds for all events. The women play a similar schedule to the PGA Tour, with tournaments almost every weekend. There are a few differences such as the fact that there are currently five majors for the LPGA compared to four for the PGA.
If you’re looking to get in on the action for the LPGA, here is a list of some of the biggest events of the season that you might want to tune in for.
- ANA Inspiration
- US Women’s Open
- Women’s PGA Championship
- Women’s British Open
- The Evian Championship
- Marathon LPGA Classic
- Amundi Evian Championship
- AIG Women’s Open
- CP Women’s Open
How to download an app for live golf betting
If you’re looking to bet on live golf, the best way to do so is through an app. This is because apps offer unrivaled speed that allows you to gamble on the events in real time. Downloading a sportsbook app is easy, and from there it’s very simple to start gambling. Here are the steps to follow:
- Choose one of our recommended Arizona sportsbook apps and click on the link to head to its website.
- Download the app from the sportsbook site.
- Create your account and start betting.
Live betting is an increasingly popular option. Whatever golf betting odds are available before the event begins will shift rapidly as it unfolds in real time. This means that the odds will reflect the ever-changing reality of the event. These odds move fast, so if you see some you like, you need to be ready to make a bet quickly.
The sportsbook decides these odds based on two factors. The first is to reflect the probability of an event occurring. If Dustin Johnson is way out ahead of the pack, the live odds for him to win the tournament are going to be short. The second factor is to limit the sportsbook’s liability. This means that it wants to encourage relatively equal betting on either side of a wager.
Best golf betting app in 2023
The best golf betting app available to residents of Arizona will likely be DraftKings AZ Sportsbook. It offers every type of golf bet that you could want as well as plenty of good promotions and boosted odds to take advantage of. The betting markets are robust, and they don’t suffer from a lack of options. Plus, they are the only group officially partnered with the PGA and TPC Scottsdale to offer sports betting in the state both online and at the sportsbook at TPC Scottsdale.
For live betting, DraftKings’ product is very strong, and it is one of the leaders in the industry. The app updates quickly and has an easy-to-use interface that provides a good experience for bettors of all levels.
If you’re located in Arizona and looking for somewhere to bet on golf, the DraftKings platform is a good choice. BetMGM Arizona and FanDuel Arizona are also great choices for regulated sportsbooks.
Golf betting tips for beginners
When it comes to golf betting, there are a few traps that novice gamblers may fall into. The golf betting advice and tips below aim to help you avoid some of the growing pains.
- Do your research: While you might get lucky and win a few bets by picking with your instincts, golf is a sport that requires research to find the best bets. Do some homework to discover what type of golfers succeed on which courses, which golfers are playing well at the moment and how the weather conditions are going to affect the tournament. These are things that play large roles in how the tournaments shake out, and the research will help you make better choices.
- Mix up the odds you play: With such a wide variety of favorites and underdogs all fighting for the tournament title, bettors may favor one wager too heavily. For example, some chase underdogs and only play long odds, while others bet on favorites too much. You’re going to want to play a mix. You should have some bets that are on stronger players who have a higher probability of winning and others on longer shots who have huge potential payouts.
- Bet on multiple golfers: Most novices will pick one golfer to back and cheer for that golfer throughout the tournament. The issue is that each tournament will have only one winner. It’s extremely difficult to find that winner with only one pick. By choosing multiple golfers, you’re adding a level of diversity to your options. While this golf betting system will cut into your potential profits, it can be worth it in the long run.
More Sports Odds
What are the advantages of golf betting?
Betting on golf has a variety of things to recommend it. Here are three of the main points in its favor:
1. Variety of bets available
While the major North American professional team sports all have the same major types of bets available (with the moneyline, total and point spread being the main ones), golf offers a variety of different bets.
Betting options include which player you think will have a birdie on the eighth hole and whether there will be a hole-in-one during the tournament. This variety helps keep things fresh.
2. Potential for long-shot victories
Look at the odds available for any golf tournament and you will see a long list of names. Because some of the best players may win only a few times a year, golf is a great choice for those who enjoy researching to find underdog winners. For those who put in the work, it’s possible to see some large returns if a lesser-known golfer is able to pull off a win.
3. Year-round action
The professional golf tours play one tournament almost every weekend all year round. The tournaments start on Thursday and end on Sunday, and then the players move on to the next week’s iteration.
This is great if you don’t want to deal with the offseason that most other sports have. Instead, there is always a golf tournament to look forward to and always something to start preparing bets for.